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Poll: When was the last time you had to pull an all-nighter to finish a project?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 10:50
English to Russian
April 2012 Jan 20, 2020

Generally, I don't accept jobs requiring me to skimp on sleep. However, as you are well aware, there are unforeseen force majeure situations that can disrupt your schedules.

On one occasion -- I was moving to another apartment at the time -- I forgot about one translation job that I had accepted earlier. The agreed turnaround time was ~10 days. It was one day before the deadline when it came in a flash that I was still at square one with that project. With the help of a seasoned col... See more
Generally, I don't accept jobs requiring me to skimp on sleep. However, as you are well aware, there are unforeseen force majeure situations that can disrupt your schedules.

On one occasion -- I was moving to another apartment at the time -- I forgot about one translation job that I had accepted earlier. The agreed turnaround time was ~10 days. It was one day before the deadline when it came in a flash that I was still at square one with that project. With the help of a seasoned colleague (thanks again, Viktor:)) I managed to complete the project within two days... but I didn't like the experience.

The worst nightmare occurred in April 2012. Two tragic events in the family happened within one week, and I had to attend two funerals in different cities. Of course, I should have withdrawn from the translation project immediately. However, it was an important ongoing project for a long-standing (since 2007) direct client, and I was very knowledgeable about client-specific terminology and style. I thought it would be in the client's best interests if I try and complete the project myself.

...

The lessons learned from the three (3) nonstop all-nighters:

• Try and avoid any all-nighters
• While a single all-nighter is acceptable, never push it to the limit.

Prolonged sleep deprivation is very detrimental to both your health and cognitive function. At the end of day 3, my throughput rate dropped from 400-500 words to 100-150 words per hour. I am confident now that I would have been in a much better condition if I had slept for at least 2-3 hours each night. ▲ Collapse


Xanthippe
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:50
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Oops Jan 20, 2020

Wilsonn Perez Reyes wrote:

I am also an owl, but I think the poll refers to working non stop without sleeping, just like xanthippe says: "3 days and 2 nights working non-stop..."


If that's the meaning, then never or very rarely. I don't do this kind of thing. I always plan the deadline with the client with a good margin for "incidents".
 
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Poll: When was the last time you had to pull an all-nighter to finish a project?






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